This invention relates to a film printer, i.e. an apparatus having a light source for directing light through a printing aperture onto an advancing film negative and synchronously moving film positive (rawstock), whereby images on the film negative are printed onto the film positive. The apparatus has utility for printing movie film.
Conventional movie film printing practice involves extracting scenes from film negatives by a cutting and splicing operation. Often multiple negatives must be generated to produce a suitable master negative for printing purposes.
The present invention concerns a film printer that can function satisfactorily without the cutting and splicing that is ordinarily required. In one form of the invention the printer is a continuous contact rotary printer that includes a hollow cylindrical printing head having a printing aperture on the cylinder surface. A rotary drive sprocket is coaxial with the printing head for synchronously moving a film negative and film positive (rawstock) transversely across the printing aperture, whereby the application of light through the printing aperture causes images on the film negative to be printed on the undeveloped film (rawstock).
A cyclically operated film lifting device is located in near proximity to the printing head for intermittently pulling the film positive away from the printing aperture and out of driven connection with the drive sprocket. While the undeveloped film positive is disconnected from the drive sprocket, the sprocket can be operated to advance the film negative across the printing aperture; at this time the film positive remains motionless in a standby condition. When the film negative is advanced to a desired distance the sprocket is stopped, and the lifting device is moved in a reverse direction to shift the film positive back into facial contact with the film negative at the printing aperture. The drive sprocket can then be operated to synchronously move the film negative and film positive across the printing aperture, thereby printing the film positive
The cyclically operated film lifting device can effectively achieve a "cut and splice" function without physically cutting or altering the film negative. The film printing process is thereby quickened and simplified.